


Additional Proof

by Politzania



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Found Family, Gen, No Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), additional layers, if you have seen it though, salty!Friday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-15 17:54:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18674611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Politzania/pseuds/Politzania
Summary: Three weeks after the decimation,  Pepper Potts is visited by someone from Tony's past.





	Additional Proof

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rebelmeg](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebelmeg/gifts).



> Square: T2 - Photo of Tony’s original arc reactor in the case with the label “Proof Tony Stark Has a Heart”  
> Title: Additional Proof  
> Rating: General  
> Warnings: No Endgame spoilers, but it may hit you harder if you’ve seen the film  
> Pairing: none - Pepper Potts & Harley Keeler (friendship)  
> Summary: Three weeks after the decimation, Pepper Potts is visited by someone from Tony's past.  
> Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18674611

“Miss Potts, there’s someone here t’ see you.” Pepper blinked in surprise. Tony’s AI had barely spoken over the past three weeks, only responding to specific requests and in as few words as possible. Pepper wasn’t sure how an artificial intelligence could grieve, but it was clear that Friday was doing exactly that. They all were. 

With a sigh, Pepper looked at the clock. She was meeting with the company’s Far East division at the top of the hour to discuss their humanitarian outreach efforts. With its worldwide presence, SI had taken the lead in responding to the after effects of the decimation. The organization once dedicated to supporting warfare was now serving as a literal as well as figurative beacon of hope; Pepper couldn’t help but think Tony would be proud. Nevertheless, Pepper was exhausted, as it was nearly nine at night and she had barely moved from her desk since six am. “I’m sorry. I don’t have time to--”

“Trust me, Boss. You’ll want to see ‘im.” That wasn’t fair; Friday had only ever called Tony ‘Boss.’

“Who taught you to fight dirty?” Pepper muttered, knowing full the AI took after her creator in that respect. “Please tell me it’s not Captain Rogers.” She could generally keep her cool while dealing with him on a professional basis, but really didn’t have it in her to be cordial at the moment.

“Good lord, no,” Friday replied, the scorn clear in her voice. “This un’s worth ten of that man.” 

“Okay. Let him in.” A teenage boy stepped slowly through the door, clutching a backpack as if it were a life preserver and he were in danger of drowning. He’d clearly been traveling for quite some time and the haunted look in his eyes was all too familiar.

“Uh, hi. I’m Harley. Harley Keener,” the boy said, stumbling through his introduction. “I met Mister Stark about six years ago, when he broke into our garage.” 

Pepper recognized his name, if not his face. “Hello, Harley. Tony’s told me all about you.” 

“Really?” The boy’s face lit up and Pepper couldn’t help but smile in response. 

“Yes. You made quite an impression on him. But I thought you lived in Tennessee, with--” She bit her tongue hard. He wouldn’t be here, looking the way he did, if his mother and sister were still alive. 

Harley’s stricken expression returned, and he swallowed hard. “Yeah. Mister Stark set things up for a college visit at MIT, because, you know, that’s where he went. The three of us -- my mom, my sister and me -- we were just walking around campus and then . . .” Harley made the same helpless, forlorn gesture that everybody made when talking about the day when half of all living things disappeared. “I didn’t know what to do.” His voice cracked on the last word, and his breath hitched. “Mister Stark said if I ever needed anything, to let him know, but . . . I saw the news. He’s not here, is he?” 

Pepper shook her head, biting her lip to hold back the tears. Her computer chose that inopportune moment to chime, her five minute warning for the meeting. “Harley, I’m so sorry, but I have to be on a conference call here in just a moment.” He turned as if to go. “Wait, please, stay. I’d love to talk with you more.” She gestured at the mini-bar. “There’s drinks and snacks over there. Sit down and rest a little. You look tired.” 

He scrubbed at his face with one hand -- a gesture that reminded her so much of Tony -- then smiled wanly. “Thanks, Ms. Potts. I am kinda hungry.” 

“Help yourself. And call me Pepper.” She kept an eye on him as she logged into the meeting, setting the angle of the holoscreens so Harley would be out of sight. He browsed through the cupboards and chose several items, then got a soda out of the fridge. He sat down, pulled out a battered laptop and plugged it in. He looked up after a moment and mouthed “wi-fi?” as he made a writing gesture. 

Pepper nodded and Friday flashed the current password onto a holoscreen for him. The look of wonder and delight in the boy’s face put a lump in her throat, and she struggled for a moment to regain her composure as the rest of the attendees came online. The meeting itself was involved, requiring all of her concentration; it was easy to forget that there was someone else even in the room with her. 

As the meeting came to a close, she noticed that Harley was standing in front of a display shelf. He turned and was holding the original arc reactor, the one that she’d had mounted in a lucite box with a glib label. But instead of a smile, the boy’s eyes were shiny and wet. 

“Did he tell you he took this it out of his own chest and used it as a defibrillator on a kid who had nearly drowned? I had to put it back in afterwards, because he couldn’t. I thought he was going to die.” Harley gripped the box so tightly his knuckles turned white. “How come Tony keeps on risking his life for people he doesn’t even know?” 

“I’ve been asking myself that question for the last decade,” Pepper replied, unable to keep her voice from trembling. “It’s what Tony does. He fixes things.”

He nodded in agreement, clearly trying to hold back a sob. Pepper couldn’t help herself and crossed the room to enfold Harley in an embrace. That was the tipping point, opening the floodgates of emotion for them both. Pepper knew she was an ugly crier, her face going blotchy and her nose running like a faucet. But it didn’t matter. Even though she’d never met Harley; he was family. 

As they were finally calming and catching their breath, Friday spoke up. “Don’t forget, Ms Potts, you’re due out at the compound tomorrow.” 

Harley pulled away. “I, uh, should go. I already checked in with Social Services. They’re gonna find somewhere for me to stay.” 

“Nonsense,” Pepper replied, wiping away her tears briskly. “There’s a perfectly good guest room upstairs. Besides, I think there’s a couple of people I should introduce you to.”

**Author's Note:**

> Because I needed these two together...


End file.
